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ATG Motorcyclists - ear protection?

Fenixgoon

Fenixgoon

Lifer
Does anyone wear any sort of hearing protection while riding? Sometimes the wind noise can get pretty loud!

Just curious if I should start picking up foam ear plugs. No doubt it would probably make the ride a little more enjoyable 🙂
 
Last I checked, wind noise at highway speeds are over 90 dB. Motorcyclists and deaf are quite synonymous, and it's not just those with loud pipes.

I'm trying out wearing foam ear plugs while driving with the windows down. It's weird, but you can still hear the important things (honking and emergency vehicles).
 
You absolutely should be wearing ear plugs when you ride.

Lowes sells an 80 count pack of foam earplugs for around $15. I use them every time I'm going to be riding for more than the shortest of rides. It is amazing how much less fatigued I feel after a couple hours when I'm wearing ear plugs.

Just make sure you insert them correctly and far enough for them to actually work properly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPNPZJingZA
 
I keep several pairs of foam ear plugs in my top case. Like Jules, I use them for all but the shortest rides. It makes riding much more comfortable.
 
I started wearing them right before I quit riding, 1/2 hour of that kind of dB and you have permanent hearing loss.

Unfortunately, I started a bit late and have some pretty significant high pitched hearing loss now. I also rode quite a few miles without a helmet at high speeds, that's even worse.
 
doesn't the helmet shave off some dB? isn't it illegal to have something in your ear while riding. I dont know the exact law but i know you can not be listening to your ipod thru earbuds while riding.
 
T2urtle said:
doesn't the helmet shave off some dB? isn't it illegal to have something in your ear while riding. I dont know the exact law but i know you can not be listening to your ipod thru earbuds while riding.
Click to expand...

Is it illegal to be deaf while riding?

As for the helmet, it depends on the helmet. For the most part they don't shave off much if any noise...in fact, some helmets may make it worse.
 
I don't wear plugs when I commute (3.5 miles), but I always wear plugs when I ride any greater distance.
 
Pliablemoose said:
I started wearing them right before I quit riding, 1/2 hour of that kind of dB and you have permanent hearing loss.

Unfortunately, I started a bit late and have some pretty significant high pitched hearing loss now. I also rode quite a few miles without a helmet at high speeds, that's even worse.
Click to expand...

same here. i rode for a couple decades plus without ear protection, helmet and had loud pipes most of the time. im pretty deef now. will i use them when i get back on two wheels? probably not...
 
Fenixgoon said:
picked up a box of 80 pairs of plugs today :thumbsup:

sadly the colors were orange and purple 🙁
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So are the ones I have. Big deal...if inserted correctly you can barely see them and they are the first thing I remove after I take my helmet off so who cares what color they are? It's not like anyone else can see them when you have your helmet on anyway.
 
JulesMaximus said:
So are the ones I have. Big deal...if inserted correctly you can barely see them and they are the first thing I remove after I take my helmet off so who cares what color they are? It's not like anyone else can see them when you have your helmet on anyway.
Click to expand...

i would have preferred a color other than purple. 100% orange would have been fine 😛
 
When I rode, I wore the EAR FX ones. After additional experience with hearing protection with my firearms, I'd go with my current set of custom ear plugs. A guy here in Sacramento does the regular ones for $45 (i think?) and the "filtered" ones that let in more lower decibal noise for $65 (or 60?).

Or if not, a set of surefire earpros. Take a look at the EP3, EP4 and EP6's.
http://www.surefire.com/EarProProducts

I used to wear ear protection whenever my ride would take me anywhere that involves speeds higher than what I'd experience on city streets since I'd get lazy to put the disposables in. With the earpros or customs though, they just pop right in and out and are much quicker as well as more comfortable.
 
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This is a huge bag-o-worms but I listen to music while I ride using sealed sennheiser earbuds (I've tried a bunch and like these best). It completely blocks/stops wind noise (the most aggravating part) but lets sirens etc in. If someone is talking to me they have to yell or speak up, but again - blocks less than the earplugs designed to block ALL noise.

I've been asked numerous times by LEO about it and I tell them the truth - they block less outside noise than the foam plugs but still stops the wind noise/pressure and have never gotten hassled.




FWIW I never listen to talk shows etc, and never 'new' music that I have to pay attention to... It's basically background noise.
 
SpatiallyAware said:
This is a huge bag-o-worms but I listen to music while I ride using sealed sennheiser earbuds (I've tried a bunch and like these best). It completely blocks/stops wind noise (the most aggravating part) but lets sirens etc in. If someone is talking to me they have to yell or speak up, but again - blocks less than the earplugs designed to block ALL noise.

I've been asked numerous times by LEO about it and I tell them the truth - they block less outside noise than the foam plugs but still stops the wind noise/pressure and have never gotten hassled.

FWIW I never listen to talk shows etc, and never 'new' music that I have to pay attention to... It's basically background noise.
Click to expand...

I do this from time to time too but, honestly, it is a distraction.
 
Kelvrick said:
When I rode, I wore the EAR FX ones. After additional experience with hearing protection with my firearms, I'd go with my current set of custom ear plugs. A guy here in Sacramento does the regular ones for $45 (i think?) and the "filtered" ones that let in more lower decibal noise for $65 (or 60?).

Or if not, a set of surefire earpros. Take a look at the EP3, EP4 and EP6's.
http://www.surefire.com/EarProProducts

I used to wear ear protection whenever my ride would take me anywhere that involves speeds higher than what I'd experience on city streets since I'd get lazy to put the disposables in. With the earpros or customs though, they just pop right in and out and are much quicker as well as more comfortable.
Click to expand...

what's the advantage of the sure EP series over the typical foam piece? The foam ones I picked up claim to have 32dB NRR while the sures do 19dB NRR between the EP3/4/6.

i mean if the sures really do work better, and i only need 1 pair, then i may as well just get them.
 
Fenixgoon said:
what's the advantage of the sure EP series over the typical foam piece? The foam ones I picked up claim to have 32dB NRR while the sures do 19dB NRR between the EP3/4/6.

i mean if the sures really do work better, and i only need 1 pair, then i may as well just get them.
Click to expand...

The quick and dirty is they block off louder noises whereas the regular foam ones block off all noise. This isn't to say there is no affect on normal "talking" level noises, but the difference is there. You can also plug the little built-in canal with the plug and have it reduce a little more noise. They're also a whole lot quicker to get on and off. To me, they're also more comfortable than the foamys, although not as comfortable as my customs.

The down side is they're 10-12 bucks a pair and the manual said to replace them every 3 months (or 6, I forget).

I don't know how often you guys replace your foam ones, so you'll have to decide for yourself if it is worth the price. For 10 bucks though, I'd try it.

I use my stuff often enough to justify the cost of custom earplugs. I've also seen guys with the ones like mine for 20+ years, so I figure it helps to save money eventually.
 
You should ride in ear plugs, I do most of the time. When I go for city rips it's ok, but anything longer is a must.

I got a box (eBay) of 200 pairs individually packaged, Moldex 6800, for 18 bucks. They are amazing.
 
well i picked up a pair of EP4's. hopefully they'll arrive in short order and i can compare them against the foam ones that I bought.
 
^ That's not bad, but I have tested a lot of plugs out there and these are the best by far in terms of use/and noice reduction. I used to use different sets of silicone ones, I even had a pair molded for my ears. It was a pain in the ass because you would always worry about losing them, and when they got dirty it sucked.

These ones come individually packaged. When I go out for the day I take a pack or two and that's it. You can also reuse them 2-3 times, usually one pair will last me the whole day.

http://www.moldex.com/hearing-protection/foam-earplugs/pura-fit.php
 
JulesMaximus said:
Is it illegal to be deaf while riding?

As for the helmet, it depends on the helmet. For the most part they don't shave off much if any noise...in fact, some helmets may make it worse.
Click to expand...

Full face helmets make it the worst for me. I really hear an echo and the noise is amplified. If I am wearing my half helmet, the noise is better, believe it or not.

I have a pretty loud exhaust and at highway speeds I barely hear it, it gets replaced by wind noise.
 
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